i read on this forum and others that "after dark i don't/won't answer my door" i am goin to have to call BS! i find it hard to believe that there are this many people that are afraid to answer the door, do you go outside after dark? what if it's somebody that really needs help? what if it is the guy across the street that is anti-gun and his wife and kids are being beat and raped by badguys? i answer my door at any hour, granted we have very odd schedules around here and yes if i'm out of bed i'm armed, i'm not saying that there ain't badguys out there, but i REFUSE to allow them to tell me when i can answer my door, go outside or where i can travel to. :smoke23:

March 5th, 2011, 01:19 PM

ppkheat

I certainly can't speak for everyone here on DC. I'm sure that responses would range all over the board. Granted there are probably some places that folks live, that once you step out your door your SA automatically goes up a couple of levels?

I've asked my wife and FIL to never answer the door after dark, anyone that knows us well, knows our cell phone numbers. I don't want them opening the door and have someone force their way inside our home. FWIW I think a video door intercom would be a great asset, I've been promoting the idea here and yet to put one in for myself.......but I will, I just need to find one that I like.

BTW we go outside often at night, sometimes sit outside on a pleasant evening. We live very rural in a wide open area. As far as answering an unexpected knock on the door at night, these days you do have to be careful with doing that. YMMV

March 5th, 2011, 02:16 PM

Alarm Guy

I agree with Paullie. What the is the use of being a man or even owning guns if we don't have the courage to stand up to evil!!! That said. I don't expect anyone to go out and commit suicide in a totally helpless situation either.

I also agree that wives and children should stay inside!!

I don't install alot of camera's in my alarms, but they are available. If someone knows you aren't home, there are lots of easy ways to get around the camera's!! I do like camera's for customers when they are home! If someone rings the door bell. You can look on the monitor and see who they are before deciding whether to open the door or not? You can install them around your whole outside perimeter along with motion lights to give you a very effective perimeter surviellance system. It might warn you something was amiss and give you time to reach a firearm, or press a panic button!!!!

March 5th, 2011, 02:17 PM

RETSUPT99

I'm not fearful of answering the door any time of the day or night...I'm just a bit more cautious after the sun goes down. I have enough windows to monitor who is seeking my 'input' when I would expect most to be asleep.
My neighbors all have our number and we theirs...no need to go knocking on anyone's door late at night...so, a knock in the middle of the night would put me on high alert.:comeandgetsome::yup:

March 5th, 2011, 02:40 PM

JDE101

I have decorative wrought iron looking security storm doors both front and back, so I am not afraid to open the regular door at anytime, day or night. However, whether or not I unlock the dead bolt is another matter.:image035: And I am always cautious and always armed, so I don't really worry too much about a knock at the door. I've had a pizza delivery person come to the wrong address on several occasions. I really can't understand those people who just plain refuse to answer a knock on the door and ignore it. I at least want to know who it is. I refuse to be a total recluse-weird-old-guy-who-lives-in-that-house type of guy! I do have a good sense of SA and act prudently, however. But to each his own. Circumstances are all different, and I have been in neighborhoods in the past where I would not answer a knock on the door at night!:yup:

March 5th, 2011, 02:45 PM

zacii

I am afraid to answer my door after dark :gah:

But my shotgun isn't :shootin:

:tumbleweed:

March 5th, 2011, 02:55 PM

OldVet

I open my door 24/7--with due caution as required. It is I who controls my life, not the scumbags of the world.

March 5th, 2011, 03:14 PM

NC Bullseye

There is a difference between "Answer" and "Open". Never had a problem so far with talking through a locked, closed door from a few feet back. I will always "answer" a knock. I also make sure when I do I can watch both the front and back doors at the same time.

March 5th, 2011, 03:24 PM

wmhawth

Quote:

i find it hard to believe that there are this many people that are afraid to answer the door,

I agree with you paullie. I'm a very cautious man myself but I'm not paranoid and I won't cower in my own house fearful of opening my own door.

March 5th, 2011, 04:03 PM

shockwave

No, I don't get the "too afraid to answer the door" thing, either. Seems craven and weak to me.

If you own your own property, then as a homeowner, you have the duty and obligation to defend it against predators. You also have the right to answer your door if someone rings the bell.

There are many variables to this calculus, and it's worth noting a few of them. First, can you check who's out there without opening the door? That's a big one. I've got these portcullis type of side windows flanking my door, so I can check first.

Second, do you have other windows in front of the house, such that you can take a look from the side before going to the door? I do, and if getting too close to the door seems imprudent, I can (and have) gone to the kitchen or dining room to check the porch from a side angle.

Third, should you open the door blindly at any time of day? I wouldn't. I'd issue a verbal challenge first, along the lines of "who is it?" before opening the door.

Just yanking the door open when there's a knock is probably an unwise move at any time and I wouldn't recommend it. If it's very late at night, after normal hours, then grabbing a gun first is something I'd be inclined to do. But in the daytime, if I see a UPS truck pull up, and I'm expecting a delivery, and I see the guy in the brown uniform coming up my walkway, then I'll open the door before he reaches the landing.

But racing for the bedroom, barricading, and dialing 911 just because there was a knock after 6 pm? You gotta be kidding.

March 5th, 2011, 04:05 PM

PAcanis

I'm in the majority of the posts so far. There's a knock at the door, I answer. That doesn't mean something isn't tucked into my belt, depending on the situation, but I answer. I've been that person knocking at someone's door once. I also walk outside when I let my dogs out at night. Call me a fool... lol

March 5th, 2011, 04:17 PM

shooter380

I can not remember an instance of not answering the door. My neighbor is fairly quite though. However, I always peak out the windows to assess the situation before I answer/open the the door.

March 5th, 2011, 04:23 PM

Guantes

Like many things we discuss, location, experience, training, circumstances and other things will effect ones actions in such activities.

That being said, I answer the door, period. Sometimes with a smile, sometimes a gun, sometimes an 870.

March 5th, 2011, 05:33 PM

GM

There is a big difference between being cautious and being paranoid. I answer the door 24/7.